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Foundational Skills for Communicating About Health

Approx. 14 hours to complete

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Course Summary

Learn how to effectively communicate health information to diverse audiences, and develop foundational skills in health communication.

Key Learning Points

Understand the principles of health communication and how to apply them in practice
Learn how to create and deliver effective health messages
Develop skills in audience analysis and engagement

Learning Outcomes

Develop foundational skills in health communication principles and practices
Learn how to create effective health messages and engage diverse audiences
Gain insight into the importance of audience analysis and engagement in health communication

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

Basic understanding of health concepts
Proficiency in written and spoken English

Course Difficulty Level

Beginner

Course Format

Online
Self-paced
Video lectures
Quizzes and assessments

Similar Courses

Health Communication Strategies
Communication Skills for Healthcare Professionals
Public Health in Humanitarian Crises

Related Education Paths

Notable People in This Field

Dean, Moody College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin
Director, Center for Health and Risk Communication, George Mason University

Related Books

Description

Effective communication is a core skill that nearly every health professional will need and use during their careers. Yet, few health professionals receive even basic training in how to design communications to be clear and successful. As “foundational skills,” the content in this course can be applied to both oral and written communication, within and beyond health.

Learners will develop the skills to: analyze and tailor a communication effort for different audiences, develop clear messages, create logical and compelling stories, understand and apply important considerations with language as well as nonverbal communication. This course is valuable and appropriate for both beginning and experienced health professionals who need to communicate effectively with other professionals, patients, policymakers, or the broader public.. Content is relevant to public health professionals, clinicians of all types (medical, nursing, dentists, social work, etc.), health advocates, and scientists and researchers in any health domain..

Knowledge

Define and collect important information about a target audience in order to make appropriate decisions about the communication effort
Select an audience-appropriate communications goal
Craft a clear, concise core message for a communication effort
Deploy at least two different types of narrative structures to support communications about health topics

Outline

Week 1
Fundamental Concepts
What can go wrong?
Audience and Goals
Creating an Audience-Goal Worksheet
Audience-Goals Example: Community Brochure
Audience-Goals Example: Scientific Conference
Audience-Goals Example: Advocacy Brief
Audience-Goals Example: This Course Segment
Faculty Introduction and Acknowledgements
Help Us Learn More About You!
Note about videos
Introductory Story of Science exercise
Audience / Goals Practice: Public Meeting
Audience / Goals Practice: Genetic Test Report
Audience / Goals Practice: Annual Clinic Report
Audience / Goals Practice: Airport Poster

Week 2
The Importance of Message Prioritization
What makes a good Central Message?
Idea Space
Inverted Triangle
Inverted Triangle Examples
Inverted Triangle Useful Structure
Half-Life Your Message Activity Instructions
A Note About The Next Set Of Items
Half-Life Your Message Reflection
Create a Central Message
How many points in a paragraph (1)
How many points in a paragraph (2)
How many points in a paragraph (3)
Critique / rewrite paragraphs
Evaluate summary using rubric (1)
Evaluate summary using rubric (2)

Week 3
Central Messages in Data Graphics
Active vs. Passive Voice
Tools and Sites for Plain Language
Dejargonizer video
Passive voice to active voice
Replacing jargon in sentences

Week 4
Power of Stories
The Link Between Messaging and Narrative
Health Sciences & Management Can be Stories
ABT (And, But, Therefore)
ABT in Science Stories
Other Examples of ABT
ABT X 2
The Findings ABT
Post-Interview debrief Dr. Skip Lupia
One-pager Briefs
Advocacy Examples: Inverted Triangles + ABT
Advocacy Example: Repeated Inverted Triangle
Macro- vs. Micro-Message Structures
External Video (10 min): Communicating to Policymakers
Letter to EPA: CPP Replacement
Letter to EPA: Toxic Substance Control Act
Evaluate ABT x 2 examples
Create ABT x 2 from provided research paper

Week 5
Vocal Tones and Nonverbals
Giving Constructive Feedback
Vocal Tone Handout
Resources and Hand-Outs
Course Feedback
Congratulations! Course Complete
Citation correction
Keep Learning with Michigan Online!
Video Analysis - Step 1
Video Analysis - Step 2
Video Analysis - Step 3
Rubric Training Video Presentation Evaluation
Rubric Training: Written Report Evaluation

Summary of User Reviews

Discover the foundational skills necessary for effective communication in the health industry. This course received positive reviews from many users for its practical and applicable approach to developing communication skills for health professionals.

Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course

The practical and applicable approach to developing communication skills for health professionals.

Pros from User Reviews

The course content is relevant and up-to-date.
The instructors are knowledgeable and engaging.
The assignments and assessments are challenging but manageable.
The course materials are easily accessible and well-organized.

Cons from User Reviews

Some users feel that the course could benefit from more interactive elements.
A few users have reported technical difficulties with the online platform.
The course may not be suitable for those with no prior knowledge of the health industry.
A few users have mentioned that the workload can be quite heavy at times.

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